The Australian Electoral Commission has been blasted for causing confusion over the Voice referendum with the voting rules being criticised for “favouring the Yes campaign”.
The upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum will operate differently to normal elections, with voters asked to write yes or no on the ballot paper following the question on the constitutional amendment.
But the election body is being slammed for creating more confusion despite attempts to stress Australians were only permitted to write “yes” or “no”. “If you’re going to count the ticks, you’ve got to count the crosses don’t you, otherwise the Yes camp has an advantage. Mr Rogers said Australians had to explicitly write yes or no in English to “ensure your vote will count” but then conceded if a voter’s intent was clear, it would be counted under what he called “savings provisions”.
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